Erica Lyons

Nov 16, 2024 | blogs.timesofisrael.com | Erica Lyons

We’ve all been profoundly changed by October 7th. “You look tired,” people tell me. “Well, I haven’t slept in x [fill in the number as the day count since October 7th rises] days,” I respond and either they can relate or they can’t. I don’t care either way. I care too deeply about too many things that matter more, which perhaps is why I’ve found myself struggling just to make polite conversation. People I know casually and those I know socially greet me as if it wasn’t still October 7th.

Oct 4, 2024 | slj.com | Erica Lyons |Louie Lauer |Caroline Kusin Pritchard

Gr 1-4–Over a dish of malida, sweetened rice adorned with fruits and flowers, Nani Penkar shares with her granddaughter the origin story of India’s Bene Israel community. Spanning over 2,000 years, the book recounts the harrowing journey of Jewish refugees fleeing the rule of Antiochus. After a violent storm, seven men and seven women wash ashore in India, where they find refuge among locals who, though religiously different, share some similar customs and have respect for diversity.